


Tommy Knows: "An Innocent Man"

by ThomE_Gemcity_06



Series: Eloquence of a Secret [4]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon-divergence, Angst, Drama, Episode: s1e04 - “An Innocent Man", Friendship, Gen, Secrets, Team-up, Tommy Knows!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-11-04 12:07:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10990623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThomE_Gemcity_06/pseuds/ThomE_Gemcity_06
Summary: Tommy accepts that maybe there are people better suited to help Oliver in his crusade than he is.





	Tommy Knows: "An Innocent Man"

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Arrow, its episodes or its characters.   
> Tag: Season 1, Episode 4 - "An Innocent Man"

**aRRoW**

"Oliver." Diggle sat up with a grunt of pain, instantly taking to his feet, only to stumble from the effects of being poisoned.

"Easy!" Oliver surged forward and put a steadying hand on him. "You were poisoned."

"You’re the vigilante." Diggle pushed him away. "Son of a bitch!" he cursed, both at the pain and at the man. Tommy stood in automatic response. If there was going to be a fight, he had no doubt that Oliver would be able to subdue the angry, injured man. "Merlyn?!" he was incredulous.

"Yo?" Tommy gave an awkward bloody-handed wave.

Oliver wasn't to be distracted, "I could have taken you anywhere--"

"Like the hospital." Tommy threw in again.

Oliver cut a glare at him, before turning his attention back onto the angry man. "But I took you here."

"Why?" Diggle demanded.

Tommy pointed and nodded his own agreement.

"Other than the fact that you would be dead right now if I had taken you to the hospital..." Oliver gave a glance to his friend, "I want you to join me."

Tommy looked at him in shock—and jealously, too.

"You're insane!" Diggle said. "You really did lose your mind on that island."

"On the contrary, I found other things, too. Like clarity." Oliver told him. "This city is slowly dying. Ruled by the criminal elite. Poisoned by the same men and women who could save it, but instead are draining it for their own greed and power. We can stop them and save this city. You're Special Forces out of Kandahar. It's perfect. A fellow soldier--"

"You're no soldier!" Diggle straightened with strength. "You're a criminal, a murderer. And you," he turned his gaze to a surprised Tommy, "Are stupider than you look." He turned his back to them and found his exit.

Tommy looked back and forth between Oliver and where Diggle had disappeared. He held out an arm, "You're just going to let him go? He's going to go to the police, Oliver!"

Oliver shook his head. "He's not." He turned his attention to cleaning up the first aid. "You might want to clean up," he pointed in the direction of the deep plastic sink.

Tommy did. "He's knows you're the Hood. He knows where the lair is." Tommy dried his hands on a rag. "Diggle seems like a very straight-lined man. What makes you sure that he won't go to the cops? He'll be Lance's best-friend."

Oliver looked up, stared him in the eye, and said: "I have hope he'll do the right thing."

"I hope to hell you're right because I am definitely way too pretty to go to prison and I don't want to be anyone's bitch. I'm just not into that,"

**X**

"Mm-hmm." Tommy hummed.

" _Are sleeping_?" Oliver wondered over the phone. Tommy could hear the crackle and knew his friend was on his bike.

"Trying to, what with assassination attempt on Walter, and Diggle almost dying; it's been a long night. And let's not forget Diggle knowing your night identity—oh, and our impending doom. I want to take a good mugshot."

" _I take a good mugshot."_

"Is that why you get arrested so much?" he snarked. "And you, you're driving and on the phone—doubling down on that death wish?"

"It's hand's-free." Oliver said. "And have you been listening to what I've been saying?"

"On all points, yes, Oliver, I have. You've tagged another guy on your list and you want to involve Laurel. I don't think that's such a good idea. And with Diggle... it's like an axe hanging over our heads, waiting to swing. Are you sure this is what you want to do with your last moments of freedom?"

" _I want to save this guy's life and you want to sleep; I think we have different priorities._ "

"It's not like I'm equipped to help this guy," he retorted, feeling a twinge in his chest at another reminder of how useless he was in the encompassing Hood proclivities.

" _But Laurel is_ ," Oliver reasoned. " _This is right up in her wheel-house and she could be this guy's only chance. I'll go to her as the Hood. If she agrees, then she can work the law and I can work on crossing a name off."_

Tommy sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't like dragging Laurel into this, but you're right... she's the best woman for the job. And what are you going to do about Diggle?"

"Give him more time."

"Heh. You better not take too much." Tommy told him. "If you're serious about recruiting Diggle, and let's be honest—you need him—you've got to get at him during that sweet-time. You gave him the truth, made him the offer, you let him walk. Now it's time to get him. He's had time. He's obviously conflicted. He hasn't called the cops, but he quit working for you. So you find him, you don't sugar-coat—you tell him the truth, Oliver. Tell him... Tell him what you told me." He finished softly.

Oliver was quiet for a moment. " _Where did that come from_?"

Tommy gave a short, self-deprecating chuckle. "Unlike you, I've actually got my degrees. They've done shit for so me far but get dad off my back. But who knows... they might actually come in handy someday."

" _I'm sure they will_."

"So, this new _body man_ you've got--"

" _Sweet dreams, Tommy_." Oliver hung up mildly.

Tommy sighed, his arm dropping back to the bed at his side with his cell. He hoped they were right about Diggle, otherwise it was game over.

**X**

"Here for the body guard position?" Oliver questioned at the sight of Diggle at the window. "There’s an opening."

"Hey!" Tommy crossed his arms over his chest and parked his hip against the couch arm. "You're dumber than you look, too, it would appear."

"You got me, Meryln," Diggle said dryly. "We all have our faults." He nodded his head at the blond, "Oliver here can be pretty convincing when he's being himself and not playing the shallow playboy."

"Hey, you did it, buddy!" Tommy smacked Oliver's chest with the back of his hand. "See what happens when you take my advice?" He winked. "You give an impassioned speech and no one gets arrested."

"I figured he could use someone to watch his back that actually knows what he's doing," Diggle said. "The last thing I need on my hands is two dead rich boys."

"Touché,"

"I'm not looking for anybody to save me." Oliver told him.

"Maybe not, but if you hope to do this long enough to actually make a difference, you need someone to watch you back out there."

"So," Tommy questioned for clarities sake, "Is he your sidekick now and I'm downgraded to the side-sidekick?"

"If I'm doing this, it's not as a sidekick." Diggle laid out a condition. "It's gonna be as your partner."

"So I'm back to being the sidekick? Why can't I be a partner, too?"

"Because you're never going into the field with me, even if you could fight. It's too big of a risk." Oliver told him simply enough.

"So what you're really saying is that Diggle's expendable." Tommy raised a brow.

Oliver and Diggle shared a silent look of communication, on the same page on this account instantly.

Tommy looked between them. "I'm already being fazed out by the new kid." He complained.

"You're a civilian, Tommy. The lair is as far as you go."

Tommy heaved a sigh. "I guess being your moral compass will have to be enough. Well," he clapped his hands and straightened. "I think we'll make a great team; got all areas covered, don't we?"

"Cheerleader would be a better description," Diggle snarked.

Before Tommy could retort there was a commotion out in the entry hall. The three men turned to the door just as Quentin Lance came through into the sitting room and snapped a pair of cuffs on Oliver.

Definitely not the best start to the addition of a third member to Team Hood.

**aRROW**

**Author's Note:**

> **DELETED TEXT:**
> 
> "So he hasn't called the cops, but he quit as your security." Tommy summarized. "And now you have a guy who calls himself your 'body man'?"  
> "Yeah." Oliver nodded. "What am I--"  
> "So, what the hell are you still doing here?" Tommy asked bluntly. "You need to go get that angry man back. I was surprised and jealous when you suddenly said that you wanted Diggle to join this... crusade of your. But I realized that I'm probably not much help to you out there," he waved his hand away from them in implication. "You need someone like Diggle out there, with you. Because this whole thing, no matter how kick-ass you are, Oliver, you can't do it alone. So, yeah, you have to go and convince that guy that he's stupid and not smart and get rid of your body man. Please."  
> "He's rather easy to ditch," Oliver agreed. "It's not as fun."  
> …  
> "Are you sure you want to drag her into the world of the Hood? Once you do that, there's no going back."  
> "I need-- well, the Hood, needs her help. I don't think that /


End file.
